In the ashes of World War II, as Paris was recovering from occupation and rationing, a visionary journalist named Hélène Gordon-Lazareff founded a magazine that would redefine women’s media. Founded in 1945, Elle was not just about dresses and lipstick – it was a bold declaration of femininity, empowerment and modernity.
Gordon-Lazareff, an émigré from the Russian Empire who became a Parisian star, combined American style with French elegance, creating a publication that appealed to the “modern working woman” and influenced global fashion journalism for decades. Her story is one of resilience, innovation, and uncompromising style, from fleeing revolutions to following stars like Brigitte Bardot.
Hélène Gordon-Lazareff was born on September 21, 1909, in Rostov-on-Don, into a wealthy Jewish family. Her father, Boris Gordon, was a tobacco magnate who owned factories, a printing press, and even a newspaper, personifying the cultural elite of pre-revolutionary society. Her mother, Yelizaveta Skomarovskaya, and her older sister Emily completed the family circle.
But the Bolshevik Revolution turned their lives upside down. Around the end of 1917, the Gordons escaped the chaos in a dramatic escape: Hélène, her mother and sister traveled by luxury train to the Black Sea, then to Istanbul, where young Helen’s long hair was cut short to escape the scrutiny of the Bolsheviks – a practical hairstyle that she would keep for the rest of her life.
Arriving in Paris in early 1920, the family settled into the city’s vibrant cultural life, although her parents soon divorced. Described as “a spoiled child, traumatized by exile” and “fascinated by power,” Hélène thrived academically. She attended the École Victor-Duroy and later studied ethnology at the Sorbonne, immersing herself in Paris’s surrealist circles, where poets such as Philippe Soupeau dedicated poems to her.
In the early 1930s, she graduated from the Institute of Ethnology, but before that, in 1928, she married chemical engineer Jean-Paul Raudnitz at the age of 19. This marriage produced a daughter, Michele Rozier (who later became a famous designer), but three years later the marriage ended in divorce due to financial incompatibility with Hélène’s luxurious tastes.
Hélène’s early career moved from academic pursuits to adventure. In 1935, she joined the Sahara-Sudan ethnographic expedition led by Marcel Griol, spending two months with the Dogon tribe in Africa, studying totemism and the role of women. This experience inspired her to become a writer; upon her return, she published travelogues in the journal “L’Intransigeant.”
It was during this period that she met her future husband, Pierre Lazareff, a prominent newspaper editor, at the home of researcher Paul-Émile Victor. Losing interest in academic pursuits, Hélène turned to journalism in the 1930s, writing children’s pages for “Paris-Soir” under the pseudonym “Tante Juliette” and working on Marie Claire magazine. Her multilingual skills – fluent in French, English and other languages – made her a natural in the fast-paced world of media.
World War II brought further upheaval. As the Nazis advanced, Hélène and Pierre, who ran the newspaper Paris-Soir, fled to New York in 1940 to escape persecution – Pierre’s newspaper was critical of the regime. In New York, Hélène showed her adaptability. Fluent in English, she integrated into American journalistic circles, landing positions at the popular intellectual magazines Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue, where she honed her fashion writing skills.
She later became a senior writer and editor of the women’s page at The New York Times, while Pierre worked at Voice of America. These years introduced her to the bold, consumerist style of the American press, which contrasted with the European wartime austerity regimes. Hélène absorbed ideas for dynamic layout, practical advice and studied content for women’s empowerment that went beyond mere embellishment.
The couple returned to liberated Paris in 1944, full of fresh perspectives. France was rebuilding, and women had just gained the right to vote in 1944. Hélène saw an opportunity: French women, tired of rationing and outdated pre-war magazines, were yearning for something bright and relevant.
Using Pierre’s media empire (he founded the popular newspaper France-Soir), Hélène launched her women’s magazine “Elle” on November 21, 1945. The magazine’s editorial office was under the roof of France-Soir’s editorial office at 100 Rue Réaumur, Paris, and early covers were shot in New York using borrowed French accessories, such as 15 chic hats from Lilly Daché, as color photography was still rare in post-war Europe.
Hélène Gordon-Lazareff’s greatest contribution was to transform fashion media from elitist escapism to an accessible, multifaceted platform. Elle’s motto – “seriousness in frivolity and irony in seriousness” – reflected her spirit: fashion as a cultural force intertwined with news, beauty, lifestyle and social issues.
The first 24-page issue featured a modern cover featuring a smiling, dynamic young woman in motion holding a ginger cat – a far cry from the static, objectified models of competitors such as Vogue or Marie Claire. The publication promised to help women “dress well despite their scarcity” and offered a mix of entertainment, practical advice and cultural commentary, setting a new standard for French women’s magazines.
Under Hélène’s leadership from 1945 to 1972, Elle magazine became a trendsetter. In 1946, she hired Françoise Giroux as editor-in-chief, who praised Hélène as a “brilliant young woman.” Gordon-Lazareff spotted and raised living icons: in 1949, she met a 15-year-old Brigitte Bardot on a train platform, transforming her into a junior Elle model and launching her into stardom.
Hélène supported young designers such as Christian Dior, for whom she personally attended a fitting in 1957, and featured stars such as Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe on the covers. In 1958, she collaborated with the most fashionable Parisian department store, Galeries Lafayette, to create a clothing line under the Elle brand, democratizing fashion. By the 1960s, Elle was influencing what women wore in Europe and the United States, earning her the 1966 Neiman Marcus Fashion Award for her global influence.
Hélène’s innovations went beyond content. Elle targeted the “modern working woman,” covering topics such as career advice, health and politics alongside couture -preempting feminist waves while subtly empowering readers. Hélène was not a feminist, however; she disliked pants on women, and faced the social upheavals of 1968, which challenged her editorial style.
Hélène Gordon-Lazareff stepped down as editor-in-chief of Elle in September 1972, amid changing times, but her influence remained. At the request of French President Georges Pompidou, she received a full salary from the Hachette Group until her death on 16 February 1988 in Le Lavandou, France. Le Monde called her “one of the most outstanding figures of the French press since the Liberation.”
Hélène Gordon-Lazareff’s legacy is profound. Elle, now an international giant with publications in over 40 countries, embodies her vision of women as active, multifaceted beings – not just decorative objects for men. She revolutionized fashion journalism, making it inclusive and ironic, combining high style with everyday relevance, and paving the way for magazines like Cosmopolitan and today’s digital platforms. Through Elle, she empowered women after the war, presenting dynamic images that broke away from pre-war objectification and influenced feminist discourse, even if unintentionally.
Today, as Elle celebrates milestones like the 2025 Style Awards, the spirit of Hélène Gordon-Lazareff lives on, reminding us that fashion media is not frivolous – in fact, it is a mirror of the evolution of society. In a world of influencers and algorithms, Hélène Gordon-Lazareff’s contributions remain a testament to the power of one woman’s bold vision.
By R.L.
© Preems